This invention relates to mobile telephones and more particularly to cellular telephones for motor vehicles. Expanded sales of vehicle cellular telephones, their utility and convenience are strong indicators that cellular telephones may soon become a major vehicle accessory.
Considerable concern exists that current designs and locations of vehicle telephones, namely, instrument panels and center arm rests, pose a safety risk because they distract a driver's attention from the road. Unless this concern is abated, the expanded usage of the vehicle cellular telephone may be arrested.
Spear et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,273 addresses this concern by mounting a cellular telephone on the operator facing side of a rotatable vehicle sun visor in the upward non-shading position of the visor. Included in the controls which face the telephone's user in the upward non-shading position of the visor is a single linear array of numerically captioned controls for dialing an outgoing call. The linear array of controls is positioned adjacent to the shaft about which the visor is rotatable. There are no means in Spear for storing or speed dialing pre-selected telephone numbers.
Meyerle et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,696 discloses a telephone handset and controls on the operator facing side of a vehicle sun visor when the visor is in a downward shading position.
Included in the controls facing the telephone's user in the shading position, is a double row of numerically captioned controls for dialing the telephone number of an outgoing call. Like Spear, there are no means in Meyerle for storing or speed dialing pre-selected telephone numbers.